


home is where the heart leads

by flyingfingertips



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, but a little if you want it, character death - mentioned, not really shipp-y
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 15:18:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13216515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingfingertips/pseuds/flyingfingertips
Summary: when the worst possible thing that could happen comes to pass, stephanie brown finds herself with the one person who she could think to go to





	home is where the heart leads

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! This is my first batman fic and the first piece of writing that I've finished in a long while. I know that it says it's a relationship, but I didn't exactly write it with that in mind. If you want to read it that way, I sure can't stop you. Enjoy!

      When a heart breaks, it has been said that the pieces will lead you home. Stephanie Brown did not know if she believed this saying, but when she felt her heart shatter, there was only one place to go. Blindly, as if on auto pilot, she made her way to Wayne Manor. Getting in was not a difficult task since she had people on the inside who routinely told her what all the passcodes were. Silently, she slipped in and looked around. In the back of her mind, there was a small voice saying, _this is wrong. You know you shouldn’t be here. You don’t belong here._ The rest of her mind was taken up by a thick blackness that she could hardly even think through. It felt like it was spreading, covering up all her thoughts until only the dark remained. Briefly, she even wondered if it was starting to show on the outside as well. Fighting the darkness was more effort than it seemed to be worth and with each step, Stephanie seemed to slow. Finally, she reached the door she was looking for and pushed it open.  
            Tim Drake had been lying on his back for the past three hours, just staring at the ceiling. The combined forces of Dick, Bruce, and Alfred had just barely managed to set a “no technology after 11:00” limit to help Tim sleep more. _Just look at how that turned out_ , Tim thought with a slight smile. He had just started to count the number of faces he could make out of the wood grain in the ceiling when he heard a noise outside his door. Silently, he reached under his pillow and grabbed his retractable bo staff. With a barely audible “chk”, the staff grew to its proper length, and Tim braced himself for an attack. What he was not suspecting was for his ex-girlfriend to be there. Relieved, Tim collapsed his staff again and was about to make a joke when he actually looked at Steph.

      Something was wrong, that much was clear. Stephanie Brown is not a weak person in any sense of the word. Since the time that Tim had met her, she had been filled with so much drive and stubbornness that it seemed like there was a fire inside of her just itching for fuel. Now, it seemed as if that fire had been doused. The eyes that were normally sparkling with intelligence and a seemingly never ending string of witty comments were bloodshot, puffy, and blank. Her hair was stringy and flat and her skin sunken and pale. Worried, Tim grabbed her hands. He knew from their years of history that Stephanie had a terrible habit. Whenever she was nervous or upset, she would pick at the skin around her nails, and at this moment, her hands were a mess. Tim looked up with a quiet kindness in his eyes. He wouldn’t ask what was wrong, he knew better than that, but he could be a shoulder to cry on. They just stood there for a moment, perfectly still. It seemed as if the whole world had stopped with them because for that one moment, eyes meeting and hands held, they could hear nothing but the sound of their own breathing. Then Stephanie fell into Tim, and started to sob.  
            “She’s gone, she’s gone, she’s gone,” Stephanie repeated through her ragged breaths. Her hands were still holding tightly to Tim’s, but her head was resting against his chest. “She’s gone and now I have nothing. I have no one. I’m alone. I’m- Oh god, I’m alone.” Her sobs continued as Tim, unsure of what exactly to do, rubbed what he hoped were comforting circles on her back.  
            “Your mom?” Tim breathed, already knowing the answer and hating himself for asking. Stephanie didn’t speak. Instead, she just nodded her head against Tim and tried to take deep breaths. After a while, the sobs slowed down, and Steph slumped even more against Tim, too exhausted to even stand.

  
      Stephanie could not fall asleep that night, no matter how tired she was. Laying in Tim’s bed, still clutching his hand as if it were the only thing anchoring her to this world, she could feel the darkness spreading again.  
            “Does it ever get easier?” she whispered, even though she knew fully well that neither of them were anywhere close to sleep.  
            “Do you want it to?” Tim answered. His voice sounded like it came from miles away, even though she knew he was right next to her.  
            “I don’t want to forget her, but I just feel so… angry,” Steph grew quiet at the end of her sentence, ashamed of the truth.  
            “That’s normal,” Tim flopped over so he was facing her. “Trust me. Anger is normal. Anger is good. Be angry at the world if you want. Just don’t be angry at yourself, and don’t turn your anger into your weapon. We have enough angry vigilantes running around.”  
            Steph nodded, silent tears running down her cheeks. “I miss her. It hasn’t even been a day and I already miss her. How do people live like this?”  
            “Because they don’t have a choice,” Tim responded. “People come and people go, that’s just the way of the world. Is it right? Who knows. It certainly isn’t any fucking fun when they have to leave, but they have to. And the people they leave behind? They keep on living. Because when a person dies, you can’t let them take you too. Death is not meant to be a chain reaction on the living. You need to realise that your mom would not want you to shut down. If your mother was anything like you, she would want you to take your life, your potential, and use it. Live, but don’t forget. Remember your mother in every waffle that you make and every nurse that you meet. Use her memory to strengthen you, not to drown you.”  
            Stephanie closed her eyes, as if remembering the way her mother used to stroke her face when she was sick or the way she used to be able to read Steph like an open book. Eyes still closed, Stephanie mouthed “Thank you” at Tim, and relaxed a little.  
           “Oh, and Steph? You aren’t alone. We’re here. You still have people.” Tim looked at the girl next to him. The girl that he used to think he was in love with. Now, looking at her in the moonlight, he remembered that there are so many different kinds of love. There’s the kind where you can be just two kids who crush on each other and make bad decisions, and there’s the other kind. The kind that, even when romantic feelings are no longer part of the equation, can lead one to the others door in the midst of tragedy. The kind of love that can comfort and can heal and can help find all the pieces of a broken heart, even if it can’t put it back together completely.

      “Get some sleep,” he whispered. “You’ve got to get up bright and early in the morning. Saturday is always family breakfast, so I hope you brought your appetite.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leaving comments and kudos is always much appreciated!


End file.
